LOS ANGELES, CA- One of the last concerts I attended before the world shut down (due to COVID 19) was at The Paramount to Angelica Garcia. It was a fantastic evening of music, and part of the reason for that was because the opening acts were stellar. One of the acts, Jona Camacho, left an indelible impression on me.
Now… This must be the 100th time I’ve said this, but I should have learned Spanish growing up. I spent my middle, high school, and college years learning French. Had I studied Spanish, I perhaps would have a better understanding and appreciation for music sung in Spanish. Don’t get me wrong … I appreciate the music regardless of the language it’s sung in, but if you’re able to understand the meaning behind the melodies, it makes it soooo much better. Mana’s “En el Muelle de San Blas” is a beautiful song… but if you know what it means, it’ll break your heart. It broke mine.
When I heard Jona perform his music, I was totally feeling it. I grew up on 90’s R&B, and Jona’s music was hitting all the sweet spots for me. In fact, some of his jams were conjuring up some serious Mint Condition vibes for me, and if you know me, you know how much I dig those soulful, organic sonics.
Jona’s new album, Memento, 11 of the 13 tracks are sung in Spanish, but for me, the whole album is a cohesive vibe that I can get lost in, even without understanding its meaning. Take the title track, “Memento”. As Jona’s mellifluous vocals whisper what sounds like sweet nothings over the gentle piano chords, having his range effortlessly float into his falsetto, it’s easy to get swept away in the sonic’s dreaminess and take the melody as a simple love song.
But then even an imperfect understanding of the words (sourced through Google translate), gives the song an added perspective, a sense of an undying longing. Jona professes compares his love to powerful natural forces, proclaiming at the end that even the memory each other will endure, serving as an eternal memento.
I could be totally off base, but even if I captured just a semblance of what was intended, my connection with the song is amplified and it makes me enjoy the fantastic cuts that Jona has on this album.
I guess I need to start learning some more Spanish.
Jona Will Host A Live Performance On His YouTube Channel On August 10th (TODAY), During Which He Will Perform Songs From His Debut Album. I recommend you log in to Youtube and check it out.
Follow Jona Camacho on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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